Next week, I'm headed to Seattle for a couple of "Measuring the Networked Nonprofit" book events generously sponsored by Microsoft.

R.G. Riles's insight:

Certainly appears donors/foundations want data of progress. One great reason to use an inbound marketing system for your nonprofit, be it our system or one you devise for yourself, is that we do have metrics / measurables which are easily traked and explained. So, at least your marketing efforts can be easily reported upon. We'll keep our eyes open and will continually share ways to help the nonprofit track actual progress for their program goals so we can continue to be a solid business partner and all around consultant for our wonderful customer-base!

If you've read my most recent income report, you know that I just completed my first ever ebook. And many lessons were learned along the way--from the writing perspective, the marketing pers...

R.G. Riles's insight:

Did you know that In-Bound Marketer writes eBooks as part of most clients' inbound marketing strategy? Find out how to write your own in this article! Please note that this article is geared towards the novella-style writer, but has useful tips for the "How-To" and "Intro to.." style books as well!

Here's the thing: no matter how much you paid for your ticket, you never bother to even try bullying the conductor or the gate agent to get your train or plane to leave a few minutes later. It leaves when...

R.G. Riles's insight:

Put together a solid proposal and contract at the beginning of the relationship or project, discuss not just your own expectations, but client expectations, and manage your client's expectations so that you both feel great about the work that is being done.

Godin is share-able on most days, but I love this point about how we tend to bend over backwards, and that guilt/feeling that the "extras" should be included as great customer service.

We blog quite a bit about buyer personas here at Weidert Group’s world headquarters – how they help you more fully understand your target’s buying behaviors, what types of information they want as they look for products and services, what motivates...

R.G. Riles's insight:

Design with your user in mind. Know what your customer will go through before making a donation, purchase, etc. Check out this "buyer's" perspective of the inbound marketing funnel!

Absolutely! Not! (gotcha!). Well, what would you guess off hand? Does the number of followers or likes really matter? If not, what does matter?

In our experience an opinion, we'd rather have 10 "likes" who actively engaged with our content, than to have 100 who did nothing with our content. Luckily, starting next week, our new website and blog will be open for business and we should start to see more engagement on FB and other sites as we post our own material!

Read the inbound marketing stories of the week that affect social media marketers.

R.G. Riles's insight:

Yes we're a week behind the times, BUT, we're sure you will find this summary of the week that was - by Desmond Wong, to be of great interest. First off, smart move by LinkedIn! That should increase activity, engagement and connections quite a bit!

Editor’s note: Darin McKeever is a deputy director in the Global Policy & Advocacy division at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he leads the foundation’s charitable sector support team. This article was...

Content is King, as they say. Good content, written with search engine optimization (SEO) and audience engagement, however, is difficult to come by. That right there sets most content or inbound marketing firms apart - the ability to produce that perfect balance of SEO & Engagement with content.

Do you want to know more about video marketing campaigns, or the specifics of making great marketing videos? Let us know. For now, check out the latest offering from Films About ME (FAME) speaking about the real advantage of video marketing - intimate connection with your audience.

Local businesses are thriving on Facebook, according to statistics released Friday by Dan Levy, director of small business at the social network, who said more than 2 billion connections exist on Facebook between users and local businesses, adding...

R.G. Riles's insight:

Do you have a local business or nonprofit? How has your luck been on the social media platforms? Well, here's an article about how local businesses are thriving on Facebook. Find out why, and what you can do to adjust your strategy!

You've been putting off actually doing much with Google+. Maybe it's because you're already feeling behind in keeping up with all the other social networks. Maybe you think there's no one there ( 5...

R.G. Riles's insight:

When Mr. Brogan talks about a social newtwork, we hang on every word. We're feeling a lot of momentum for Google+ right now, already the #3 social network - edging YouTube and Pinterest in terms of number of unique visitors per day.

Google Plus SEO: Google+ has such a powerful effect on Google Search not just because Google+ is a Google product, but due to how Google Plus is constructed.

R.G. Riles's insight:

Do you think that social media sites influence search engine page rankings at all? Well, the influence is debatable for most social sites, but not for Google+. This is a terrific article, explaining SEO (search engine optimization) and then how an active and engaged Google+ audience has tremendous benefits for your website's Page Rank.

Colleagues Allyson Kapin who founded a web agency called Rad Campaign (they designed my blog) and Amy Sample Ward, who the NTEN Membership Director (and I've known since 2007) have published a new how to book called "Social Change Any Time Every...

R.G. Riles's insight:

If you were starting a nonprofit today, to which social media sites would you immediately begin posting, and what other kinds of content would you have from the get-go?

Utilizing multiple channels and instilling a social culture - increasingly important in any business or NPO. If you run a lean, mean online marketing machine (or NPO, or charitable business), then you need to be reading what Beth Kanter has to say in this post.

Note from Beth: I made a personal goal for myself to get past my dislike of spreadsheets and become more fluent. First I had to "Stop Fearing the Spreadsheet" and then started to interview nonprofit data nerds about their Excel secrets.

R.G. Riles's insight:

What would you think if I made the following statement? A nonprofit or a marketing agency can be gifted at creating would-be and converted customers through blogging and social media, but can never claim to be a master of this craft without measurement? Think about it... tons of output, but not tracking which output is getting the most input and in what ways? Nonprofits run a lean ship! There's no room for waste! Same for the agencies! Luckily, I come from a line of business where Excel is used nearly daily. Here are some great spreadsheet tips for you to use while tracking your social media return on investment (ROI).

Twitter for Business: Read an updated checklist of everything your business needs to do on Twitter and start seeing great results.

R.G. Riles's insight:

Who here is on Twitter? If you're not, what is your hesitation? If you hope to successfully market your organization or brand, we suggest you jump to it! It's especially effective in B2B situations, and is a perfect compliment to your LinkedIn account.

"Popcorn Maker is a free web app that makes video pop with interactivity, context and the magic of the web.

Popcorn Maker makes it easy to enhance, remix and share web video. Using Popcorn Maker’s simple drag and drop interface, you can add live content to any video — photos, maps, links, social media feeds and more. All right from your browser.

The result is a new way to tell stories on the web, with videos that are rich with context, full of links, and unique each time you watch them."

WOW! Does this appear to be a powerful and promising tool, or what? If you're into making video, you might want to get used to using Mozilla Firefox for a while and then start using Popcorn Maker when it's time to make those new, shiney movies! Wonder what our friends at FAME thing about this?

Would you be interested in an internet where all of your information is kept private and marketers, commercials, spam-bots never ruined your "surf sessions?" Check out this nonprofit Internet Service Provider!

Facebook has launched the new and exciting Home and lock screens App to work with your Android devices. Facebook Home is a collection of Apps which will compl

R.G. Riles's insight:

Facebook Home... do you know what it is? Want to know more? Well, for starters, it's basically an app that takes control of your Android device. This may be convenient for you, or it may feel invasive. Have a read and let us know whether you think Facebook is taking things too far.

Sharing your scoops to your social media accounts is a must to distribute your curated content. Not only will it drive traffic and leads through your content, but it will help show your expertise with your followers.

Integrating your curated content to your website or blog will allow you to increase your website visitors’ engagement, boost SEO and acquire new visitors. By redirecting your social media traffic to your website, Scoop.it will also help you generate more qualified traffic and leads from your curation work.

Distributing your curated content through a newsletter is a great way to nurture and engage your email subscribers will developing your traffic and visibility.
Creating engaging newsletters with your curated content is really easy.